Eurotunnel Class 9

The Eurotunnel Class 9 Bo-Bo-Bo electric locomotives were built by Brush Traction between 1993 and 2002. They are used to haul the Eurotunnel Shuttle service through the Channel Tunnel between Cheriton and Coquelles.

Overview

The Bo-Bo-Bo wheel arrangement is unusual, yet offers the adhesion of 12 wheels (equivalent to a Co-Co) with flexibility that 4-wheeled bogies give. The flexibility is required as they have to negotiate 180-degree curves at both terminals, and the middle bogie has side play to allow this.

The class were built by Brush Traction at Loughborough and receive heavy maintenance there. To get to the Brush Works they must travel by road since they are built to the Berne gauge and are too large for British loading gauge.

They operate as two locomotives per train, one at either end, hauling the Eurotunnel rolling stock. For safety reasons each is capable of hauling a train by itself should the other one fail, and a full set can also push out another failed Shuttle or a failed Eurostar or Freight train. In addition, much of the equipment on the locomotives is duplicated to reduce the chance of failure, and they are divided into fireproof compartments.

Common with UK and French practice, the driver sits on the left hand side of the cab, and the right hand side of the cab is used by the train manager, who travels in the rear locomotive and is also a fully qualified driver and capable of driving the train out of the tunnel in an emergency. Early locomotives were fitted with a second small cab at the inner end, for use when shunting at the depots, but these were not fitted to later locomotives.

They are fitted with TVM 430 in-cab signalling. They take power from 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead line electrification.

The design was based on the NZR EF class locomotives used in New Zealand, which were also built by Brush, Loughborough. The proven EF design was scaled up from New Zealand's RailGauge|1067|al=on|lk=on and small loading gauge, to the standard rail gauge and larger loading gauge used in Europe. See Semmens, page 16-18.

The Class 9s handle only the Eurotunnel Shuttle services; British Rail Class 92 electric locomotives haul normal freight trains through the tunnel.

Subclasses

Several subclasses of locomotive have been built, summarised below.

Names

The locomotives are named after opera singers. There is a complete list [http://www.therailwaycentre.com/Nemeplates/Book_PDFs/Eurotunnel.pdf here.]

References

Semmens, P.W.B. and Machefest-Tassin, Y. (1994) "Channel Tunnel Trains: Channel Tunnel rolling stock and the Eurotunnel system", Folkestone : Channel Tunnel Group, ISBN 1-872009-33-6